Alliance of Sahel States

The Alliance of Sahel States (French: l'Alliance des États du Sahel; AES)[2] is a mutual defense pact created between Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso on 16 September 2023.[3][4] The pact was created during the 2023 Nigerien crisis, in which the West African political bloc ECOWAS threatened to intervene militarily to restore civilian rule after a coup in Niger earlier that year.[5]

Alliance of Sahel States
Formation16 September 2023 (2023-09-16)
TypeMilitary alliance
PurposeCollective security
Region
Sahel
Membership
Official language
French
LeaderIbrahim Traoré[1]

The alliance's stated goal is to protect against possible threats of armed rebellion or external aggression, emphasizing that "any attack on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of one or more contracted parties will be considered an aggression against the other parties".[3]

Background

The Sahel region has been the site of an ongoing jihadist insurgency since 2003, which has led to many conflicts in the region, such as the Mali War and the Boko Haram insurgency. All three member states have had their pro-Western governments overthrown by their militaries, and each is ruled by a junta as part of the Coup Belt.[6]

In the 2021 Malian coup d'état, Assimi Goïta and the National Committee for the Salvation of the People seized power in Mali taking over from Bah Ndaw who himself came to power in the 2020 Malian coup d'état overthrowing the last democratically elected President of Mali, Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta.[7]

Just months later, in the 2021 Guinean coup d'état the National Committee of Reconciliation and Development installed Mamady Doumbouya as the new president, overthrowing the elected Alpha Condé.[8]

Burkina Faso's military overthrew their existing military government in the September 2022 Burkina Faso coup d'état, installing Ibrahim Traoré over Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba who came to power in the January 2022 Burkina Faso coup d'état which toppled the democratic government of President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré.[9]

Most recently the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland has overthrown the elected government of Niger's Mohamed Bazoum, installing Abdourahamane Tchiani and a new junta in the 2023 Nigerien coup d'état.[10]

All three of the alliance's member states are suspended members of ECOWAS; following the coup in Niger, ECOWAS has threatened to intervene militarily and restore President Bazoum's government, resulting in the 2023 Nigerien crisis. The Nigerien government has the backing of Mali and Burkina Faso, which promised military aid to Niger in the event of an intervention, and Guinea, which has been offering diplomatic support. The promises of military aid resulted in the creation of AES as a mutual defense block for the three nations in an attempt to stave off an ECOWAS intervention.[11]

See also

References
  1. "Military-ruled former French colonies forge NATO-style Alliance of Sahel States". 17 September 2023.
  2. "Le Burkina Faso,la République du Mali et la République du Niger créent l'Alliance des Etats du Sahel". YouTube. Radio Télévision du Burkina. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  3. "Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso sign Sahel security pact". Reuters. 16 September 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  4. Report, Agency (16 September 2023). "Mali, Niger, Burkina juntas sign mutual defence pact". Punch Newspapers. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  5. "Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso establish Sahel security alliance". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  6. "ECOWAS Unity Put to Test as West African Coup Crisis Deepens". VOA. 11 September 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  7. "Mali Coup Soldiers Take to Airwaves, Promise Elections". The New York Times. Associated Press. 19 August 2020. Archived from the original on 23 August 2020. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  8. Samb, Saliou (6 September 2021). "Elite Guinea army unit says it has toppled president". Reuters. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  9. "Burkina : Ibrahim Traoré proclamé président, Damiba destitué". Jeune Afrique (in French). 30 September 2022. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  10. "Niger general Tchiani named head of transitional government after coup". Al Jazeera. 28 July 2023. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
  11. "Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso sign Sahel security pact". Reuters. 16 September 2023. Archived from the original on 16 September 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
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